For years, government officials in California have been rallying to reduce emissions on the well-traveled highway corridors of the Golden State and point to studies that have found that residents in these areas face greater health risks.

So, you would think that the future of natural gas vehicles is strong in the nationâ€™s most populated state where infamous traffic jams and smog alerts are a part of daily life, right? No. In fact, the future of natural gas vehicles in California is looking pretty bleak.

We discussed this topic recently with our colleagues over at Hard Working Trucks. You can read more about it by clicking here.

It’s important to keep tabs on Ford’s Order Open / Final Order dates as they have direct implications to build dates, certifications, and delivery of product. Landi Renzo USA has compiled the dates for the appropriate vehicles that we offer with CNG conversions.

F-150 5.0L MY2017 – order bank closed in May; MY2018 order bank is now OPEN. We are working to complete the necessary development and certification work for MY2018. Ford has moved to a PFDI (Port Fuel / Direct Injection) engine. This will be an additional product for Landi Renzo USA in MY2018 and comes with the same quality and reliability you expect from Landi Renzo.

F-250/350 6.2L MY2017 and F-450/550 6.8L MY2017 (Super Duty) – final order date is September 1, 2017. Landi Renzo USA has certification and continues to fulfill orders. The MY2018 order bank opens on September 13, 2017 with Job 1 scheduled for November 20, 2017. Please note: If you plan on deploying any F-250/350/450/550 product in CY2017, you need to get your orders placed asap. It is questionable, given Fordâ€™s build schedule for MY2018, whether there will be enough time to receive the vehicles, convert and ship to your location before the end of the year.

F-650/750 6.8L MY2017 (Medium Truck) – order bank closed in early June; MY2018 order bank is now OPEN. Job 1 is scheduled for October 2, 2017.

Please note these dates can and do change – particular if Ford balances out early. If you want to make sure, you should reach out to your Ford dealer to confirm. Our goal is to provide general timing for planning purposes.

Landi Renzo USA is available to discuss your specific situation and will work to deliver the highest quality product within the timelines of your specific requirement. And, when comparing pricing, you’ll find Landi Renzo USA is the most aggressively priced product in the market. High quality and competitive pricing is a winning combination. Give us a call or email today.

You may hear many different opinions about crash testing, depending on who you ask in the CNG industry. But there’s just one definitive answer – Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Title 49 Part 571.303; Fuel system integrity of compressed natural gas vehicles. It’s only three pages long and easy to understand.

The FMVSS Standard says that any CNG vehicle (dedicated or bi-fuel) weighing under 10,000 lbs. GVWR – the F-150, F-250, F-350, or Transit, for example – is required to undergo physical crash testing of a representative vehicle. That’s right – physical crash testing. There’s no allowance for an engineering “white paper” or a judgment call from the engineering group. Federal law requires the safety of the CNG system to be demonstrated.

Is Crash-Testing Cheap? No. Is it necessary and required? Yes. Do we do it? Yes!

Landi Renzo USA ensures that we are in full compliance with FMVSS 571.303 because, as stated in the regulation, the purpose of the test “is to reduce deaths and injuries occurring from fires that result from fuel leakage during and after motor vehicle crashes.” Protecting the lives of drivers and passengers is critically important for us.

We complete three individual tests – frontal barrier crash, rear moving barrier crash, and lateral moving barrier crash. That’s right, we take a perfectly good Ford truck equipped with our CNG system and crash it to ensure compliance with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements.

What Does Crash Testing Actually Achieve?

The layman’s explanation is that the test measures the drop-in fuel system pressure over a 60-minute period. If the pressure exceeds a certain threshold, there was a CNG leak, which could lead to catastrophic results in the case of a fire. If the fuel pressure drop is under the threshold, the CNG system complies with FMVSS 571.303.

This isn’t an area we play around with. Nor should you. Whether you are responsible for selling CNG vehicles to end users or you’re the fleet manager specifying trucks, there is too much liability, and potentially lives, at stake to not buy CNG vehicles that are compliant with Federal law.

With so much inaccurate information in the market, we believe it’s our duty to ensure that customers understand what Federal law requires. If you are purchasing a CNG product under 10,000 GVWR, ask the CNG vehicle manufacturer to provide a written declaration they have complied with FMVSS-303, to include the location of the test, date of the test, and the outcome. Anything less, and you may be dealing with a non-compliant vehicle.

Landi USA is preparing to complete our physical crash test this coming month. The date is locked in and we’ll be sharing more as the time approaches. We are also gearing up to ensure our MY2018 5.0L will be fully FMVSS-303 compliant as well. We’ll tell you more on that at a later date.

Torrance, Calif., March 20, 2017 – Landi Renzo USA is pleased to announce receipt of our natural gas bi-fuel & dedicated EPA certifications for the MY2017 Ford F-250/350 6.2L engine with gaseous prep engine package.
With over 1 million systems sold globally each year, the Landi Renzo Group continues to be a world leader in alternative fuel systems sales and development.

Continuing with a tradition of quality products available from Landi Renzo USA, our 6.2L bi-fuel & dedicated CNG systems have been developed by some of the world’s leading alternative fuel engineers and is available exclusively through Landi Renzo USA’s distribution network.

The Quality of Life Community Investor Award recognizes businesses whose products, systems, methods and services contribute significantly to the improvement of the quality of life for the Torrance community. Moreover, the Award recognizes businesses that take the extra step and serve the community.

We are very proud to be acknowledged in the business community of Torrance.

This is to say thank you for everyone’s hard work and dedication. Well done, all!

http://www.landiusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/landirenzo.png00adminhttp://www.landiusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/landirenzo.pngadmin2017-03-17 12:02:552017-03-17 12:02:55Landi Renzo USA receives an Advantage Award from the City of Torrance

In collaboration with a Landi Renzo preferred ship-thru installer located in Avon Lake, OH, ordering a CNG equipped F450/550 or F650/750 Super Duty truck is a simple as selecting the ship-thru option on a dealer order form.

http://www.landiusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/landirenzo.png00adminhttp://www.landiusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/landirenzo.pngadmin2017-03-17 11:57:032017-03-17 11:57:03What's Cheaper than a Full Tank of CNG?

Torrance, Calif., February 27, 2017 – Landi Renzo USA today announced Paul Shaffer will join the organization as Executive Vice President of Business Development. He will oversee the sales, marketing, and service departments beginning on February 27, 2017.

Shaffer served as Vice President and Managing Director for Westport’s North American DOEM business. He oversaw the integration of Westport and BAF Technologies and most recently, managed the integration of two DOEM businesses – Westport Dallas and IMPCO Automotive. “With his deep expertise in the alternative fuel vehicle market, I am pleased to welcome Paul to the helm of our executive team,” said Andrea Landi, President and CEO of Landi Renzo USA. “As we push forward into new and exciting areas, Paul’s experience working with industry, government, and fleets will enable him to provide valuable leadership and growth to our company.”

Shaffer started his alternative fuel vehicle career in 1997 as an Air Force Captain, managing a program involving more than 800 vehicles deployed to 37 Air Force military bases. He later joined Bachman NGV, which became BAF Technologies, where he was instrumental in securing the first Ford QVM designation for CNG in 2010. He has overseen well over 20,000 AFV conversions, and was instrumental in the AT&T business that converted over 4,000 vehicles to CNG.

Washington, D.C. – NGVAmerica today commended the release of a new study by scientists from West Virginia University’s Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions (“CAFEE”). The study published online by Environmental Science & Technology was supported by the Environmental Defense Fund and numerous organizations from the natural gas industry, including a variety of NGVAmerica members.

“The natural gas vehicle industry has taken a proactive approach to reducing methane emissions and this study provides a valuable baseline from which to understand emissions from natural gas vehicles and fueling stations on a pump-to-wheels basis,” said NGVAmerica President Matthew Godlewski. “The findings confirm that many of the technologies being deployed on the latest generation of natural gas engines and refueling infrastructure are dramatically lowering emissions and continue to make natural gas the ‘greenest’ choice for fleets across North America.”

Today’s natural gas vehicles provide significant environmental benefits including the lowest emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter and other pollutants that directly affect public health. Additionally, the latest engines (which were not among those studied as part of this research) include closed-crankcase systems and other upgrades that optimize operation and increase efficiency. For these new spark-ignited natural gas engines, these changes have resulted in a more than 70 percent reduction in methane emissions compared to engines produced only a few years ago.

The study found that emissions from natural gas stations and refueling infrastructure contributed less than 20 percent of the methane emissions examined. New technologies and best practices at CNG and LNG stations with dispensers, compressors, boil off gas management systems for storage tanks, and other equipment are lowering these emissions even further and the study provides a solid baseline to demonstrate future improvements.

While the WVU study did not examine the increasing role of renewable natural gas (RNG), recent studies have found that RNG (captured from landfills, wastewater treatment and other sources) can reduce total greenhouse emissions by more than 80 percent. NGVAmerica estimates that 20 – 30 percent of all natural gas used for transportation is now low-carbon RNG. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, renewable natural gas accounts for the largest share of cellulosic biofuel currently sold in the U.S.
“NGVAmerica applauds the cooperative approach taken with this study and will incorporate its findings in the ongoing work of our Technology & Development Committee that is continuously evaluating further product enhancements and best practices,” said Godlewski.

About NGVAmerica
NGVAmerica is the national organization driving the use of natural gas as a clean, domestic, safe and abundant transportation fuel. The organization represents more than 200 companies, environmental groups, and government organizations interested in the promotion and use of more clean-burning natural gas in transportation. For more information, visit www.ngvamerica.org.

Landi Renzo has maintained both EPA & CARB certifications on the Ford 6.8L 2-valve V10 engine since 2014MY. The most recent 2017MY EPA certification makes it the industry’s first dedicated CNG application for the engine test group HLDRE06.8B10 under Ford’s gaseous fuel QVM program

Whether you have service bodytrucks canvasing the California landscape, 4-wheel drive pickupscrawling through the Rocky Mountains, snow plowspushing through a Nor’easter cold front or an emergency responseunit headed into a Southeastern tropical storm.

With the arrival of Ford’s all new 2017 Super Duty Trucks, Landi Renzo is excited to announce that we are taking orders for both dedicated and bi-fuel variations of the Ford F-250/350 6.2L Super Duty Trucks.

Landi Renzo’s bench of CARB & EPA certified products – backed by their OEM factory warranty* – remains one of the industry’s largest and most reliable natural gas vehicle offerings in the market. Greening your fleet and achieving your company’s sustainability goals, has never been easier.